I’m talking about the coverage on news sources aimed at Democrats like CNN/MSNBC that fawned over her and papered over her major flaws as a politician. My personal favorite, as a south Asian, is how the media portrayed her nomination as a major victory for us, despite little enthusiasm for Harris among the group. (Everyone I know who supported her is white.)
This sort of coverage is a liability for Democrats because it insulates them from information. A glaring example of this is Elizabeth Warren. It should have been news from the beginning that she had failed to establish personal networks with Black or Latino voters during her tenure as Senator. Her Super Tuesday supporters were 80% white, for an electorate that was only 50% white. When Democrats win elections by turning out Latinos in the southwest and Black people in the south, Warren won just 5-6% of those voters on Super Tuesday, behind Michael Bloomberg.
Elizabeth Warren was a dead-on-arrival candidate because minorities didn’t like her and they’re 40% of the Democratic Party. That should have been a huge story. Instead, the media fawned over her for months because they personally loved Warren. Super Tuesday this blindsided everyone, even though it should have been predictable given what we knew about Warren from the beginning.
If Biden doesn’t run in 2024, expect to see similar fawning coverage of Harris, focused on her “historic” identity and papering over her flaws as a politician. That creates a very real risk that Democrats nominate someone who their own base doesn’t like very much.